It has become common in the bedding industry to equip beds with a combination of a mattress and underlying foundation or box spring. The mattress and box spring are normally supplied as modular components, along with other features such as a frame, headboard, and other decorative features. In most cases, the box is placed on a frame, and the mattress then placed on top of the box spring. One of the limitations of this type of arrangement lies in the fact that in the absence of any form of securement, the mattress can move relative to the box spring. This then requires frequent adjustment to re-align the mattress with the underlying box spring.
There have been several prior art solutions to this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,726 (Gardner) discloses a retainer system comprising corner pieces held in place by diagonally oriented straps that maintain the mattress in position relative to the box spring or like foundation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,831 (Miller) discloses a similar solution to the problem. U.S. Pat. No. 8,522,376 (Rohr) discloses a mattress retainer that is permanently mounted on the underlying box spring and engages the corners of the mattress to maintain the mattress in place.
Each of these solutions have significant limitations. In some, the use of straps makes the system more complicated and more difficult to install. In others, the mounting of the corner device to the box spring requires additional tools and hardware. In addition, each of the prior art solutions compromises the ability to easily place a fitted sheet over the mattress. Thus, what is needed is a simpler, easier to install, and less obtrusive device for maintaining a mattress and box spring in alignment with each other.